Leskya Nui
Leskya Nui was a medium-sized island located in the far north of the West Chain of the Matoran Universe's Southern Islands. Although cold, its boreal landscape supported a rather lush, well-adapted ecosystem. It had one of the largest Matoran populations of any island in the Southern Islands (around 15,000) and was mostly rural and suburban with several urbanized cities located around major ports. It was notable for its commercial engagement with more northern islands and its function as a rest stop between the northern Matoran Universe and the Southern Islands. The island began its existence without any inhabitants aside from Rahi. However, during the reign of the League of Six Kingdoms, Carapar claimed the island resulting in its habitation by his Matoran soldiers. After he was sentenced to the Pit, higher-ranking Matoran formed an aristocracy to rule the island, but it was soon overthrown and replaced by the Post-Carapine Administration (PCA). To prevent the creation of Toa of Iron and Magnetism, Makuta Antharahk began trying to invade the island at some point. This sparked the War of Pestilence, which ended in its destruction by the first detonation of an Incendiary. After the war, the island was hot, devoid of most forms of life, and utterly uninhabitable. Those who managed to survive its demise fled the island, most later obtaining refuge on Powai Nui. History Early History Leskya Nui was created at the same time as the rest of the universe and was populated with vegetation and Rahi. Aside from its use as a rest stop for voyagers, it did not see significant inhabitation from any sapient beings. This changed when it was claimed by Carapar, who set up a large number of outposts and military bases on the island to house his growing Matoran army. At one point, the island was home to around 10,000 Matoran soldiers. Although initially very strategically valuable, the conquering of other islands made it less desirable, and Carapar put less effort into maintaining his strict rule over the island. As a result, it became less industrialized and militarized over time. Post-Carapine Revolution By the time the Brotherhood of Makuta had decimated the League of Six Kingdoms, several coups had already been attempted on the island, widdling the population down to just under 8,000. In the wake of Carapar's rule, his former higher-ranking Matoran formed the island's next government. As the laws they passed commonly served them while disadvantaging those in lower classes, the uprisings continued, and it was eventually overthrown. The Post-Carapine Administration was formed soon after this. The island began to see consistent commercial activity following this, as it served as a common midpoint between the northern islands and the West Southern Island chain. As the Brotherhood had begun selling many other Matoran soldiers into slavery, the remaining inhabitants of the island banded together to purchase enslaved Matoran, bring them to the island, and emancipate them. This lead to a sharp increase in the population, which eventually leveled off at around 15,000 Matoran. As the population increase induced both more frequent crime and a larger risk of being targeted by warlords such as Carapar, The PCA chose six Toa to form the island's Toa team, the Toa Leskya. They would later become the island's military leaders. The island saw much technological advancement during this time, and it became one of the most commercially-involved islands in the Southern Island chains. After safety and financial footing were secured, PCA began to fund, prepare, and plan an expedition to islands in the West Southern Island chain that would include several research vessels such as the ''Horizon Breaker''. War of Pestilence To be written... Legacy To be written... Description Environment Before its demise, Leskya Nui was a cold, predominantly taiga-like island, surrounded by firm sheets of ice, which some inhabitants built their civilizations on. The mainland was populated with cold-resistant plants and many herbivorous Rahi which were easily domesticated and farmed. The weather was snowy but rather calm, and blizzards were rare. To be written... Government Formerly, the island was under the rule of Carapar, a member of the League of Six Kingdoms. During this time, its inhabitants were all members of Carapar's military or slaves working to provide it with resources. A small number of Matoran proved themselves worthy of commanding other soldiers (under Carapar's very close eye) and were promoted to higher ranks, giving them relative freedom. After Carapar was sentenced to the Pit, these higher-ranking Matoran quickly scrambled to fill in the resulting power vacuum, forming an aristocratic government. The laws they made were often designed to benefit them more than those under them. After this government was overthrown, the Post-Carapine Administration was formed, a governing council of elected individuals. The council was designed specifically to steer the island away from government corruption and tyranny such as that seen in its early days; hence it was named to reference Carapar himself. After a public voting session, the PCA mandated the formulation of the Toa Leskya, who would come to associate closely with the council. To be written... Infrastructure and Economy As a result of its history with the League of Six Kingdoms and advanced technology, one of the island's main exports became magnetism-related weaponry. Weapons were usually sold to hunters traveling down into the rest of the Southern Islands to pursue rare and dangerous Rahi. To be written... Culture In the island's days as a part of the League of Six Kingdoms, crabs came to be associated political power, to the notable number of Keras crabs Carapar, the former ruler of the island, used in his military. After Carapar was sentenced to the Pit, they became symbols of aristocracy, as Carapar's former high-ranking Matoran military leaders came to constitute a large section of the upper class. During and after the Post-Carapine Revolution, these symbols were used to demean those who acted snooty and conceited. "Crabber", "Keras-head", and "crab-worshipper", derogatory slang terms for members of the upper class, originated from this time as well. To be written... Cuisine To be written... Population Once boasting over 15,000 Matoran inhabitants, Leskya Nui was formerly one of the most densely populated islands in the Southern Islands. Its population was composed entirely of Matoran and Toa, with no Turaga. Most Matoran of the six main Elements were common (Ta-Matoran, who preferred warmer climates, were very rare), as were Fa-Matoran, Ba-Matoran, Bo-Matoran, and Ce-Matoran. A handful of Fe-Matoran lived there, having immigrated from other islands. Many inhabitants were killed in the climax of the War of Pestilence, and the couple hundred survivors fled the island, leaving it uninhabited. Differences From Other Matoran Populations Three phenomena that were rarely seen in other Matoran populations had a high incidence among Leskya Nui's population. Two were simple glitches, whereas one was an adaptation to the island's environment. In the PCA's early days, it was discovered that Matoran with certain glitches were the subject of prejudice in the northern islands. In response, they made laws protecting such individuals and enacted a wide-reaching campaign encouraging them to immigrate to the island and be free from prejudice. * Romantic enablement: Although Matoran were not designed with romance in mind, about a third of Leskya Nui's Matoran described themselves as capable of feeling romantic attraction. Such individuals were referred to by many names, the most politically correct being "romantically enabled". Although romantic attractions were not strictly between male and female, a majority of the romantically enabled were attracted to the opposite gender. The percentage of these individuals who were attracted to their same gender or to both genders seemed to change gradually, and as such, it was hard to calculate definitely. Romantically enabled Matoran were among the groups targeted by the PCA's campaign to bring them to the island to be free from discrimination. * Element-gender disconnect: Approximately 20% of Leskya Nui's inhabitants were of the gender opposite of that which their Element was naturally supposed to be. As a result, the island's male-to-female ratio was more equalized than those of other Matoran-populated islands. Only from interactions with more northern islands did Leskya Nuians learn that it was unnatural. These Matoran were the primary target of the PCA's anti-discrimination campaign, as their anomalous traits were nigh-impossible to hide from others. * Food consumption: A lack of absorbable food required all of Leskya Nui's inhabitants to adapt to eating and digesting food for sustenance. While this was not unusual for Matoran, eating was considered to be the standard on Leskya Nui, whereas other Matoran populations considered eating rude and distasteful. This not only led to Leskya Nui adopting one the only "cuisines" in the Matoran Universe but also to them developing methods of sanitization that most Matoran didn't need. As Matoran cannot digest every part of the food they ingest and have no excretory system, the question of how excess food was eliminated from the stomach baffled Leskya Nuians for centuries. During the epidemic of Makuta's Breath on the island, medical technology was improved, leading to the discovery of colonies of gut microbes that digested whatever food Matoran could not digest. Notable Inhabitants Matoran *Keelo - formerly; vacated on Horizon Breaker *Merdana - formerly; vacated on Horizon Breaker *Jeko - formerly; vacated on Horizon Breaker *Yedrin - formerly; vacated on Horizon Breaker *Shensii - formerly; vacated on Horizon Breaker *Nepto - formerly; vacated on Horizon Breaker *Tyria - formerly; vacated on Horizon Breaker *Syrke - formerly; deceased Toa *Toa Hatar - formerly; vacated on Horizon Breaker *Toa Vandir - formerly; vacated on Horizon Breaker *Toa Nohri - formerly; deceased *Toa Dehka - formerly; deceased *Three other Toa - formerly; deceased Appearances * The Feral Plains - Mentioned; Volumes ''I'', ''III'', ''V'', ''VI'', & ''VII'' * Dirge - First appearance * Renascence - Mentioned Trivia * Some aspects of the island were based on typical depictions of Vikings and other things related to Nordic culture. The island itself had a cold climate, Vandir's name came from an Icelandic word, the islanders had plans for seaborne expeditions, and the survivors of the War of Pestilence attempted to conquer another island. Category:Islands Category:Matoran Universe